If the South had a mascot, it would be okra. You love, hate or have an unfounded fear of okra — and the same is true of the South.
There’s no vegetable more polarizing than this poor little pod. And it’s only one part of okra that tends to bother people: the slimy seeds. Now I seek okra out. I want to cook with it. I want to change people’s minds about it. I’m not going to print myself an “I Love Okra” T-shirt or name my next child after it, but I understand and respect it just as much as I do every other vegetable.